The Labor enquirer., 1887-02-05
II Is the Breeder Of RascalitY,
Misery and
Crime.
Society Changing Into the Ex-
tremes of Riches and
Poverty.
But q Bitter Conflict Has Begun.
The ReVOlution's Light
is Here.
From the Critic.
SOCIALISM A NECESSITY

From the Critic. 4
SOCIALISM A NECESSITY. a.
To those who look upon Socialists q
mere handful of pestilent cranks. the
above heading will appear absurd In the
extreme and 1 freely confess that do
not expect to prove its immediate nee
essity, so far as this country 10 con-
cerned. but 1 think can show that the
forces are at work which will create that
necessity. Il
To those who have not taken any in.
terest in this matter, nothing may seem
more strange than the assertion that our
competetivo system cannot endure. but
observation will show that 1t, like all
other systems, has had its rise. progress
and growth, and will in turn give place
to higher civilization than, is possible
under 1t. nj
Let us consider 1t for q moment, Just
as it exists to-day, unrestricted, unlim-
tied competition. The man who has
been out Of work for months will in his
desperate attempts to obtain employ
ment, endeavor to supplant bis neighbor
by Offering his labor at lower wages than
that neighbor is receiving and this is
often made pretext for lowering the
wages of a whole shopful of men. This
among other things creates the necessity
for organization to keep wages from be-
ing constantly lowered, but where there
is great surplus of unemployed labor
these efforts cannot be entirely successful
and the situation becomes just what it is
to-day in all commercial countries the
competition of the unemployed men and
women for chance to share the work
Of their more fortunate comrades, forces
these comrades to accept any chains the
employers bind them with, because the
alternative is to be dismissed, then fol-
low idleness, want and perhaps starva-
tion. Z
This is competition among laborers.
now let as look at its effects In the com.
mercial world. Every field is occupied,
every avenue of production filed. The
competition has long been 80 keen as to
lead to every kind of every kind of arti-
flee and trickery to obtain an advantage
over rival manufacture. 1fa new arti.
Gle is placed on the market some device
must be resorted to in order to induce
the consumer to give such article trial,
while like a steadily flowing stream,
our inventors are constantly turning
out the means to still further cheaper
production and dispense with human
labor. Can anyone carefully consider
all this and still say there will come no
material change? Just think of it, you,
the father or mother CT half
a dozen boys and girls. look in their
faces and try if you can think of one
trade or profession in which you can
place them where they will have rea-
soDable chance of making an honest
living.
But the evils growing out of excessive
competition can and does take another
form. When firm or corporation have
grown rich by well-managed business
or lucky speculation. as it is called, they
try to force their competitors out of the
race and this has given rise to the arbi-
trary pools and combinations which
govern almost every article Of national
consumption. The small merchant ie
being crowded out, the small manufac-
turer is no longer able to maintain his
standing, retail business is giving place
to Wholesale while the larger industries
are fast progressing to the point where
they can be owned and controlled IN
the interest of the people. . ALI these
J, things show that the system Of
Ifree competition which has done so
much for the world in the past, by stim.
ula ing invention and developing our re-
sources, has outlived its usefulness and
must give place to another.
Still another point of view is this: Al
poverty increases in any country 90 alst
does crime of every kind. the peniten
tiaries need enlarging. reform school
: have to be built, the courts Of iustic,
} are crowded with business. taxes in
t crease and the burden becomes greater
each year until 1t becomes too heavy Il
! be borne. Bsbel, in speaking of this
/: says:
II maintain that within given tim,
all the evils described will have reaches
point at which their existence will
: not only be recognized bv the vast ma
ljority of the population, but will hav'
u also become unbearable, that Q univer
y sal, irresistible longin g for reformation
will then take possession of the commu
u NIFTY and make the quickest remedy ap
: pear the most opportune."
This remedy is Socialism. for there i
= no other way ofavoiding the evils unde
which We are laboring in common Wit
other countries which have an advance
civilization, and the keen competiio
o in trade. the overbearing extortion {
\ ...o.o-oi;o. - al. ~o,.x.a ~